Vo I. XXXIX No. 3 September 1969 Published by the IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION : :: ;i bird Life IOWA BIRD LIFE -XXXIX, 1969 VOL. XXXIX NO. 3 SEPTEMBER, 1969 PAGES 49-68 CONTENTS MAN VERSUS BIRDS 51-55 NESTING BOX UTILIZATION 55-58 FALL CONVENTION 58-60 SCARLET TANAGERS 50-61 FIELD REPORTS 61-63 GENERAL NOTES 63-65 BOOK REVIEWS 65-67 OFFICERS OF THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION President - Robert L. Nickolson, 2314 Helmer St., Sioux City, Iowa 51103 Vice-President - Joseph Brown, 3300 Lincoln, Des Moines, Iowa 50312 Secretary - Mrs. M. K. Hallberg, 4 Rock Bluff Road, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501 Treasurer - Woodward H. Brown, 4815 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 50312 Editor - Peter C. Petersen Jr., 235 McClellan Blvd. Davenport, Iowa 52803 Librarian - Miss Frances Crouter, 2513 Walnut St., Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613 Executive Council: Keith Layton, Oskaloosa, Iowa Mrs. Charles Ayres, Ottumwa, Iowa Mrs. Russell Nicholson, Des Moines, Iowa Miss Myra Willis, Cedar Rapids, Iowa I The Iowa Ornithologists' Union was organized at Ames, Iowa, February 28, 1923 r for the study and protection of native birds and to promote fraternal relations among Iowa bird stu- dents. The central design of the Union's official seal Is the Eastern Goldfinch, designated State Bird of Iowa In 1933, Publication of the Union: Mimeographed letters, 1923-1928; THE BULLETIN 1929-1930; IOWA BIRD LIFE beginning 1931. SUBSCRIPTION RATE : $3.00 a year, single copies 75 cents each except where supply is limited to five or fewer copies, $1.00. Subscriptions to the magazine is included in all paid memberships, of which there are five classes as follows: Life Member, $100.00, payable in four equal installments; Contributing Mem- ber, $10.00 a year; Supporting Member, $5.00 a year; Regular Member, $3,00 a year; Junior Member (under 16 years of age), $L00a year. EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION OFFICE 235 McClellan blvd, DAVENPORT, IOWA 52803 Published quarterly by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union at 235 McClellan Blvd., Davenport, Iowa. 52803, Second class postage paid at Davenport, Iowa, Subscription $3,00, single copies MAN VERSUS BIRDS 51 Man Versus Birds MRS. DARRELL M. HANNA 1026 South Allice Street SIOUX CITY, IOWA May it please the court, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury. This is a matter of Man versus Birds which is to come before you at this time. I should like to enumerate briefly a few of the charges lodged against man in this proceeding. These charges are in the nature of man s destructive acts against his environment and the resulting harmful effects on bird life. Now, if the court please, I shall direct my remarks to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury. In order to get, shall we say - a "bird's eye" view -- of this subject, let us make a quick survey of the evidence by taking sections of the country and going from west to east around the coast. Let us first consider San Francisco Bay. This jewel of the west is being tran- sformed into a garbage dump. It is being exploited by greed and avarice masquerading as progress which instead is steadily and relentlessly destroying it. The fillers ask in wide-eyed ignorance the oft'heard phrase, "Which is more im- portant, people or birds?” (Don't answer that!) If your honor please, I should like to submit in evidence the article "The Rape of San Francisco Bay,” Audubon Magazine, Mar. -Apr. 1968. The Santa Barbara oil slick was an accident that has just been waiting to happen. What the oil didn’t kill, the detergents did, leaving the area nearly destitute of marine and bird life. This is the result in all of the so-called "ac- cidents” involving the spilling of oil wherever they may occur. The evidence I submit was written by Ian McMillan, an Audubon Wildlife lecturer in Defenders of Wildlife, Jan-Feb 1969. All up and down the west coast, and in the state of California in particular, we are witnessing the smothering effects of a population explosion: air and water pollution, mushrooming suburbia and the accompanying highways and shopping centers, the barren hillsides and resulting mud slides, the littered countryside and the ever-growing piles of garbage. Paul Harvey says man is the dirtiest animal on earth and is determined to bury himself in his own trash. It is here in California that a battle is being waged to keep inviolate an area where the last few remaining California Condors can be protected. Our first stop along the Gulf Coast is the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge where a most glaring example of wanton plunder is the invasion of the wintering grounds of the Whooping Crane by the oyster shell dredgers. There are some big- name men and industries involved in this corrupt act and they are willing to risk burying the last Whooping Crane. The evidence to be submitted, "Deep in the Mud of Texas". Audubon Magazine, Nov-Dec 1968. Less spectacular but doing immeasurable damage to both marine and bird life of the gulf is the filth and contamination spewed forth from the mouth of the Mississippi River. This once-beautiful river, along with its many tributaries, is probably the longest depository of municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes of any river system in the country, although all major streams are polluted. But the Mississippi is referred to by some people as "the colon of mid-Am erica”. Besides the variety of wastes the river carries, the w r aters are known to be heavily laden with agricultural poisons washed off crop lands and linked by some with the disappearance of the Brown Pelican. Tremendous fish kills are becoming com- monplace and could very well be a determining factor in the survival of all This paper was presented at the May, 1969 I.O.U. Convention and appears here by popular request ed. 52 IOWA BIRD LIFE - XXXIX, 1969 fisheating birds. Scientists have now determined that the ingestion of DDT by some birds over the years has decreased their reproductive capacities and has also affected the shell-forming capability of the birds. The eggshells are becoming so thin that they cannot withstand the weight of the bird and the eggs are broken before they can be hatched. This is true especially of the Bald Eagle, the Osprey and the Peregrine Falcon. These two factors could lead to the extinction of some species. Dr. Richard G. VanGelder, Mammologist of the American Museum of Natural History holds only a feeble hope that the trend of the Bald Eagle toward extinction can be reversed, Florida, too, is suffering all the ill effects of a population explosion and is fast approaching California’s state of environmental desecration. With the combined effects of natural disasters and those created by the Army Engineers, along with the “improvements’' of the developers, Florida is rapidly losing its distinction of having the most dramatic habitat for bird life in North America. As we go on up the east coast we encounter the problem of pollution and destruction of the estuaries, the shallow waters and marshes at the mouths of rivers that are so rich in natural resources. Dredges by the score are busy tearing up the estuarine environment. Efforts are being made by the National Audubon Society to get legislation to correct the situation, but in the meantime the dredging, filling and polluting are still going on. Thermal pollution is not a problem confined to the east, but they do have it and it is one that we will be hearing more about. Polluted water is usually thought of as being dirty water, but heated water, even a few degrees, can be just as disasterous to the natural ecology of the aquatic en- vironment. Many of the problems that plague the great center section of our nation are related to agriculture: intensification of farming and the “clean farming” technique, early and high speed mowing, more efficient harvesting, drainage of wetlands. These and other farming procedures have made drastic changes in habitat thereby contributing to the declining bird population. The use of agricultural chemicals is the one factor having the greatest effect on bird life: insecticides, pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals have long been suspect in the minds of some but evidence now shows overwhelmingly that they are directly related to our diminishing bird population. A feeble voice of the minority in South Dakota suggested that, “perhaps, clean farming with its multitude of sprays just might be the problem”. Might be? It is the problem and always has been. For probably identical reasons, Oklahoma is losing 100,000 Bobwhite a year. Oklahoma has also lost, just last year, 3400 acres of waterfowl marshes to the Army Engineers phobia of building dams. Speaking of dams, had you thought that the small farm ponds that we welcomed so eagerly a few years ago, could be death traps for their visitors? If their waters drain from heavily treated croplands, they could be lethal to the furred and feathered creatures frequenting them. Before leaving the midwest, mention must be made of the sad state of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie has been called a “dead” lake and the same fate is facing Lake Michigan. These lakes have been subjected to every kind of pollution possible, including DDT from Dutch Elm Disease control programs. But with the advent of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the pollution peculiar to sealanes has in- creased. Few' ships afloat today have facilities for disposal of shipboard wastes, except for what the sailors describe as their “moonlight disposal technique”. Or, in other words, after dark “toss 'er overboard”. Accidental spills of bilge water, sanitary sewage, oil or cargo spoilage are not subject to prosecution. So when a crew is apprehended, they are “just real sorry ’bout that, but it was an accident”. I MAN VERSUS BIRDS 53 must say too, that if the Mississippi River is the “colon of mid-America", the Great Lakes are its cesspool, I submit in evidence, members of the jury, "Great Lakes- Great Mess". Audubon Magazine, May-June 1968. If it pleases the court, I should like to present to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury some evidence concerning the insecticide DDT. It was a louse that got the whole thing started. It really was a louse that got the whole thing started. DDT was developed as a protection against body lice for the GIs of WW2. It was so effective that it was hailed with delight and led to the development of a whole long list of pesticides that are on the market today. A total of more than 6U,QU0 different kinds, Way more than the government can adequately test or effectively control. DDT was the first of these "wonder chemicals" and just one of a group of chlorinated hydro-carbons. There are seven of the commonly used ones, sometimes called the "dirty seven”: DDT, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, heplachlor, lindane and chlor- dane. I should have said there were seven. Aldrin and dieldrin were rejected by the USDA for use on crops more than a year ago and jusl very recently, lindane has been rejected, in some cases, where two chemicals become mixed or combined, it can result in 1 plus 1 equals 3 or 4 or even more. Bui in any case, where one is used over and over il builds up to a level that could be lethal for all manner of creatures. In fact, biologists fear that man is high on the list of animals doomed to almost immediate extinction! Now - — there’s a thought that deserves some consideration! Years ago an editorial in the Waltonian stated that many of our problems stemmed from the three Ps : pavement, pesticides and people. It is because of people that we have the urban sprawl. It is because of people that we are plastering our land with concrete, (hat croplands are being extended and drenched with chemicals, to provide more food which in turn produces more wast to be dumped into our streams and lakes, to contaminate the water that is becoming depleted! It is the demands of people that is the basis for the exploitation of our natural resources, to be manufactured by the plants that are contributing to our air and water pollution! Our problem is people! people! If we could just eliminate people! No! No! I object, your Honor. I move that these last few remarks be stricken from the record on the grounds that they are immaterial, irrelevant and impossible! Seriously, though, Dr. Elvis Stahr, new President of the National Audubon Society stated recently, "The most dangerous species of life on earth today is man. He is destroying land, forest, wildlife, rivers, lakes, oceans and atmosphere. He is making his own Hell on earth." But to get back to DDT, members of the jury, by 1966 the average American had accumulated in his fatty tissues, 12 parts per million of DDT. No doubt the amount has risen since then and the tolerance without ill effects is not know. Right now, infants fed with mother’s milk get it complete with DDT. Of course, cow’s milk carries DDT also, but that problem has been solved, thanks to the tobacco industry. It is now possible to filter DDT out of cow’s milk by feeding them ac- tivated charcoal. But given time, and if we persevere, man will eventually be unfit for human consumption! DDT has been used mainly for insect control. Its most widespread use has been in an attempt to control elm bark beetle that spreads Dutch Elm Disease. The DDT spraying program was first developed by Mr, Joseph Dietrich, Supt. of Parks, Greenwich, Conn, in the early 1950'$. As the disease spread eastward through the states whose shade trees were predominantly elms, many communities whose elms were affected began spraying their trees with DDT. After a few seasons, it became apparent that there was relationship between the spraying and the loss of birds, particularly Robins although more than 54 IOWA BIRD LIFE - XXXIX, 1969 40 species of birds were known to have been killed by DDT, As early as 1960 and again in 1963 the National Conference on Water Pollution condemned the use of DDT. The Science Advisory Committees of both President Kennedy and President Johnson recommended that DDT be withdrawn from use. In January of 1965 Connecticut banned the use of DDT for DED and since then the states of Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have taken steps to hall its use. Sweden has just banned DDT for two years. Of course there are some who take the opposite stand. For instance, Dr. Wayland Hayes of the Public Health Service. He said that he was afraid that if the United States banned DDT that people in other countries would feel that it wasn't safe for them to use???? He made this statement while testifying in Wisconsin where the attempt to ban DDT was being contested. It is only to be expected that a multi-million dollar business will not be given up without a struggle. The United States Forest Service discon- tinued its use in 1966 and the USDA finally withdrew its recommendation for its use for DED in 1968. A crusader for the cause is Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. If it pleases the court, may I present in evidence a copy of the Congressional Record. In it he states, “I have advocated a nationwide ban on the use of DDT for several years and have recently introduced legislation to prohibit the interstate sale and shipment of this persistent pesticide." The General Accounting Office re- ports that pesticide controls are notoriously lax and prosecution ior violations is non-existant. Senator Nelson is convinced that we are heading toward an en- vironmental disaster. He says it is no longer a question of “Will it happen?” It is happening - - - - NOW! ! If there is still need for some of you to oppose a spraying program in you city, you should know that it is not the way to win a popularity contest. You may be received cooly by your TV and radio program directors and your newsmen. You may even be attacked openly by your news media, as we were, for wanting to “just let the trees die". Although, thank goodness, there are some exceptions. You will also find that the majority of the public will be with you. Since the USDA reversed its position on the use of DDT for DED, I doubt if you will have as many guest speakers from the Iowa State University Extension Department as we did. They canvassed the state pretty thoroughly before the reversal encouraging and even urging city councils to engage in a spraying program. But their efforts towards stopping the use of DDT since the reversal have been disappointing, But they are taking steps to redeem themselves. They are cooperating with Elm Research Institute, a rather new organization formed by a group of scientists attempting to find, through research, a solution to the DED problem. Five universities are engaged in separate projects with grants from ERI, and now a program directed by Dr. Harold S. McNabb, will be undertaken at ISU with a grant of $5,000. We wish them success. (This in itself shoud tell us that, as yet, there is no answer so why should we continue poisoning our environment with DDT?) The National Audubon Society joined forces with Elm Research some time ago. It seems rather like an unholy alliance, since some of the arborist participants and financial backers have not yet abandoned DDT. The Society says, “Their differences result from the tragic inability of men to see reality in the same way. We mourn the ignorance, stupidity, greed and obstinacies that hamper human progress." What they said among themselves was probably, “If you can't whip ’em, join 'em." The Society said finally, "If this research uncovers a new approach to an old problem, with profits for everyone, our differences of opinion would melt away." With profits for everyone, there is the key to the whole thing ! NESTING BOX UTILIZATION 55 The clinching argument against using DDT for Dutch Elm Disease is the admission of defeat by Mr. Dietrich, the man in Greenwich, Conn, who started the program. He followed his plan faithfully and after 15 years of a devoted, technologically skillful program, the elms had dwindled from 60,000 to 6,000 and they were still dying. He finally admitted that his plan had neither saved the elms nor halted the spread of the disease. In closing my case I will mention this item which appeared in the May 3 issue of Business Week. “The National Cancer Institute specifically tagged 11 common pesticides, including DDT, and cast strong suspicions on 19 other chemicals as sources of tumors in mice.” It also stated that is reasonable to conclude that the great majority of the DDT-induced tumors “had malignant potentiality." While reaching your verdict you may wish to consider as further evidence the following: TV tower, picture window and road kills, roadside spraying, irresponsible hunters, the contamination of soil from lawn and garden preparations, rodent control by 1080 poison in sheep-raising sections, habitat by new-type vehicles, to name a few. The annual toll nationwide is terrific. Birds cannot maintain their numbers in the face of all the man-made hazards of our modern world. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have presented my case. The verdict is in your hands. Is man guilty of destroying his environment resulting in harmful ef- fects on birds? Nesting Box Utilization by the Eastern Bluebird and the House Wren---1968 STEPHEN PATTERSON Route 2 PERRY, IOWA The June. 1967, issue ol Iowa Bird Life contained an article by this author on Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) nesting habits in his locality. In 1966 and 1967 no research was conducted on Bluebirds but in 1968 a second study was initiated. Armed with much enthusiasm and a federal banding permit, I placed 80 bluebird boxes in the Perry area of Dallas County In 1968, 1 banded 148 young Bluebirds and House Wrens ( Troglodytes aedon). During the summer of 1969 boxes will placed in the same locations and attempts will be made to recapture the adults utilizing the boxes. In this way data may be gathered as to how many birds return to the area. Hopefully, this can be a project spanning several consecutive years. The following is a short summary of the 1968 results with some comparisons to the 1965 article. PROCEDURE Boxes were erected along roadsides (mostly gravel roads ) on wooden fence posts as was done in 1965. All boxes were checked each weekend. Any needed minor repairs were made and badly damaged boxes were removed. In addition, sparrow nests were removed each week. Nest record cards were secured trom the 1.0. U. and records submitted. All young Bluebirds and Wrens were banded while partially leathered. The study area consisted ol the following areas fo Dallas County : a ) Spring Valley Township - sections 27, 28, 34, and 35 bi Washington Township --sections 1,2.3, 12, and 13. The area is located south of Perry and extends for approximately five 56 IOWA BIRD LIFE -XXXIX, 1969 miles along the Raccoon River, A wide range of habitats is present but the area can be grouped into three general types: a) extensively timbered - areas with no farmland nearby; primarily timber and pasture. b) partially-farmed, partially-timbered - areas with timber (or pature) and fields interspersed. c) farmed -- areas primarily of intensively farmed fields with no timber or pasture closer than approximately one-fourth mile. RESULTS Table I. Nest box utilization in intensively farmed areas. Species % of boxes Boxes Nesting % of nest occupied occupied attempts success Bluebird 38 3 5 60 Wren 0 0 0 — Chickadee 0 0 0 Table II. Nest box utilization in partially-farmed, partially-timbered areas. Species % of boxes Boxes Nesting % ol nest occupied occupied attempts success Bluebird 35 17 22 59 Wren 39 19 24 50 Chickadee 2 l 1 0 Table HI. Nest box utilization in extensively timbered areas. Species % of boxes Boxes Nesting % of nest occupied occupied attempts success Bluebird 26 6 9 44 Wren 70 16 27 33 Chickadee 4 1 1 100 Table IV. Bluebird nesting results by area for successful and unsuccessful nesting attempts. Eggs laid Eggs hatiched Young reared Nesting attempts S • U * • S U KA c S U Ti m ber 17 21 16 10 15 - 4 5 Intermediate 62 28 58 6 53 13 9 Farm 10 ? * * * 10 0 8 0 3 2 * Successful nests * * Unsuccessful nests * * * Eggs laid and nests destroyed between visits (pieces of eggshell present). DISCUSSION Of the eighty boxes placed, eight were categorized as being in farmed areas, twenty-three in extensively timbered areas, and forty-nine in intermediate (partially-farmed, partially -timbered) areas. A greater emphasis is placed on the NESTING BOX UTILIZATION 57 intermediate area because past experience indicates a greater number oi Bluebirds can be attracted to these areas. Nest box utilization varied widely. The largest percentage ol boxes was utilized in the timbered areas where only 13 percent ol the boxes did not contain one ol the three study species (e. Bluebird, House Wren, and Black-capped Chickadee (Pams atricapillus). Thirty-seven percent ol the boxes in the intermediate area were vacant and sixty-three percent in the J armed areas were vacant. Only Bluebirds nested in farmed areas. As Table I shows, live nesting at- tempts were made in three boxes. Ten percent ol the eighty boxes were in this area and they contributed fourteen percent of the Bluebird nesting attempts. Sixty percent ol the attempts were successful. Not enough boxes were placed in fanned areas in I9fi8 to warrant comparison with 1965 results, Extensively timbered areas contained the nexl largest number of boxes (23). These areas contained representatives ol all three species with a predominance ol the boxes, (70 percent) of Wrens (see Table III). Although the figures might lead one to believe that all boxes were used since the three figures in “percent of boxes utilized" equals 100 percent, this was not the case. Wrens occasionally took over a box alter a Bluebird had used it ; thus both species occupied the same box. Twenty- nine percent ol the eight boxes were in this area and they contributed twenty-live percent ol the Bluebird nesting attempts. In timbered areas Wrens made three times as many nesting attempts as Bluebirds. This compares identically with results obtained in 1965 when three times as many nesting attempts were also made by Wrens. However, nest success was much lower in 1966. Nest success in 1968 for Bluebirds was 44 percent and for Wrens, 33 percent. This compares to 78 percent and 52 percent, respectively, lor 1965. Most boxes were placed in areas with a mixture of fanned and wooded land (49). Sixty-one percent of eighty boxes w r ere in these areas and they contributed sixty-one percent oi the Bluebird nesting attempts, In these areas, as in 1965, figures for Wrens and Bluebirds were approximately the same (Table II). However, a comparison of nest success between 1965 and 1968 shows a marked decline in the latter year. In 1965, 75 percent of the Bluebird nesting attempts were successful, whereas in 1968 only 59 percent were successful. Figures for Wrens were approximately the same (50 percent). Table IV summarizes the data for Bluebirds. The egg mortality ol the suc- cessful nests in timbered and intermediate areas was six percent while there was no failure of eggs to hatch in successful nests of farmed areas. Thus ninety-four percent ol all eggs of successful nests hatched (compared to 97 percent in 1965). Eighty-three percent of the eggs laid in these twenty successful nests produced young which Jell Ihe nest (compared to 91 percent in 1965). Twenty (or 56 percent) ol the thirty-six Bluebird nesting attempts were successful (compared lo thirty- four successful nests out of forty-seven attempts, or seventy-two percent, in 1965) There was a very distinct relationship between nest success and easy access to the river. For means of comparison boxes were divided into two groups: a) those in areas separated from the Raccoon River bottomland by fields b) those in areas connected to the river bottomland by small streams 58 IOWA BIRD LIFE - XXXIX, 1969 or extensions of timber and also areas which were part of the timbered riverbottom. In boxes which were in areas separate from the actual river bottomland there were 36 nesting attempts - 24 successful and 12 unsuccessful. In boxes which were in areas in some way connected to the river by streams or timbered areas there were 54 nesting attempts -- 16 successful and 39 unsuceesful. Apparently predators are more common in these latter areas. As in 1965, House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) were probably the biggest problem. In 1965, 157 nests were removed from the boxes, In 1968, 265 nests tor partial nests > were removed. A total of 338 eggs were destroyed as compared to 264 in 1965. In an attempt to decrease the number of sparrows in the boxes, all adult sparrows captured were killed. In twelve boxes ten lemales and two males were killed. Of these twelve boxes only four were free of sparrows the rest of the summer. In the other eight boxes sparrows returned, sometimes as early as the next week. Apparently killing only one of the pair does little good. HE MARKS I have given only a brief summary ol Die results of last summer's work primarily because this is only a preliminary study to the more important part of the project. The main attempt of this project is to study the same are in 1969 in an et tort to determine how many of the young of 1968 return to occupy I he same area. Toward this end 67 immature Bluebirds and 81 immature Wrens were banded. Records were kept to show in which box each young was reared. In the summer of 1969. boxes will be placed in the same locations and an attempt made to capture all adult Wrens and Bluebirds which nest in them. In this way it will be possible to determine how many young return to use the boxes again and whether or not they return to the same specific location or just to the general area. The annual fall meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists Union was held in Shenan- doah. Iowa, on September 20-21, 1969. One hundred one were registered for the Saturday evening dinner and meeting. Mrs. Emmett Zollars, Mrs. Wallace DeLong, and Mrs. Francis Broley were hostesses for the meeting. The evening opened with a 6:30 P.M. dinner at the Nishna Valley Isaac Walton clubhouse east of Shenandoah. Following the dinner President Robert Nicholson opened the meeting and Vice-president Joe Brown presented Mr. Edward M. Brigham III, who is the regional representative of the National Audubon Society. He gave a slide lecture on “Conservation is Choices.’ 1 This pointed up very vividly the problems caused by man in upsetting the balance of nature. Breakfast was served at the Tall Corn Motel at 5:30 A.M. Sunday, September 21. Trips followed lo Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge near Mound City, Missouri and to Waubonsie State Park in southern Iowa. FALL CONVENTION 59 Following the noon luncheon at the Walton clubhouse. President Nickolson presided at a brief business meeting. He announced that the IOU has been invited to Mount Pleasant by Dr. William Poulter for its annual spring meeting in 1970, This meeting is scheduled for the weekend of May 15-17. Bob thanked the local committee and the Waltonians for their fine cooperation in making the meeting such a successful one. Following the business meeting Judge Charles Ayres led the official compilation of birds seen on the field trips. Fifty species were tallied for Iowa and ninety -seven for the Missouri area. ----Mrs, Charles Ayres, Ottumwa ATTENDANCE AKRON: Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Bryant; AMES: James Rod; CEDAR FALLS: Mrs. Lloyd Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Oren Paine, Mrs. Charles Sclwanke, Maxine Schwanke; CEDAR RAPIDS: Mr. and Mrs. Jim Clifton, Audrey and Wendell Clifton, Sara Millikan, Lillian Serbousek, Myra Willis; CRESTON: Mr. and Mrs. Frank Augustine and family; DAVENPORT : Mr. and Mrs. Peter Petersen; DES MOINES: Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Atherton, Mr. and Mrs, Joseph Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Woodward Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Lester Haskell, Mr. and Mrs. Richard D, Mooney ESSEX; John Chandler, Mrs. Donald Walters; GUTHRIE CENTER; Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Partridge; HAMBURG: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzhugh Diggs, Mrs. Edwin Getscher; INBIANOLA: Mr. and Mrs. Doyle Woods; LAMONI: Mrs. Dean Ballantyne, Mrs. Paul Elswick, Mr. and Mrs. J, Donald Giliaspey and family, Mrs. Earl Rauch, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Silver; MARION: Mrs. Lucile Liljedahl; MARSHALLTOWN : Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Britten, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Rinehart; OTTUMWA: Judge and Mrs. Charles Ayres, Jr., Pearle Walker; RED OAK: Mr. and Mrs, George Franek; ROLAND. Roger Birkeland; SHELL ROCK: Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Pettijohn; SHENANDOAH: Mr. and Mrs. Francis Broley, Mr. and Mrs. Don Burrichter, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Champers, Mr. and Mrs, Wallace DeLong, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gorving, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Vaughn, Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Zollars ; SIOUX CITY : Helen Barrett, Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Davison, Mr. and Mrs. Darrell Hanna, Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Kirk- patrick, Alice Loeffler, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nickolson; WATERLOO: Myrle Burk, Ellen Hawkins; WEST BRANCH: Mr. and Mrs. Tom Schaefer and three Scattergood students; WHEATLAND: Esther Copp; DOVER, ARKANSAS: Margaret Jones; LINCOLN, NEBR.; Mr. and Mrs. Harold Whitmus; MOUND CITY, MO. : Mr. and Mrs. Harold Burgess- Total 101. Birds observed on Field Trips on Sunday. Sept. 21 (M - - Missouri only ). Pied-billed Grebe, White Pelican (M), Great Blue Heron, Green Heron (Ml, Common Egret CM ) , Black-crowmed Night Heron (Ml, American Bittern (M), Canada Goose (M), Snow Goose (Ml, Blue Goose (Mi, Mallard (M), Black Duck (M), Gadwali (M), Pintail (Mi, Green-winged Teal (Ml, Blue-winged Teal, American Widgeon (M), Shoveler (M>, Wood Duck (Mi, Turkey Vulture, Red- tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Marsh Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Bobwhite, Ring- necked Pheasant, King Rail (Mi, Sora CM), American Coot (Ml, Killdeer (M), Golden Plover (M), Common Snipe (Ml, Willet (Ml, Greater Yellowlegs (M), Lesser Yellowlegs (Mi, Pectroal Sandpiper (Ml, White-rumped Sandpiper (Mi, Baird's Sandpiper (Mi, Least Sandpiper (Mi, Short-billed Dowitcher (Mi, Stilt Sandpiper (M), Semipalmated Sandpiper (MJ, Marbled Godwit (M), Hudsonian Godwit (Ml, Sanderling (Ml, Avocet (Ml, Wilson’s Phalarope (M), Northern Phalarope (Mi, Ring-billed Gull (Mi, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (M), Black-billed Cuckoo, Screech Owl, Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Red-shafted Flicker (M-Harold Burgess i. Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy 60 IOWA BIRD LIFE -XXXIX, 1969 Woodpecker (Ml, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird (M), Horned Lark. Tree Swallow (Mb Bank Swallow (Mb Rough-winged Swallow (M), Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Purple Marlin, Blue Jay, Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tutted Titmouse, White-brealed Nuthatch, House Wren. Long-billed Marsh Wren (M), Catbird, Brown Thrasher. Robin, Gray-cheeked Thrush (M), Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby- crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing (M), Loggerhead Shrike, Starling, Black-and- white Warbler, Nashville Warbler (Mb Black-lhroated Green Warbler (M), Yeliowlhroal (M), House Sparrow, Meadowlark (sp.b Yellow-headed Blackbird (Mb Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Cowbird (Mb Cardinal, Dickcis- sel, American Goldfinch, Savannah Sparrow (Mb Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow (M), Song Sparrow (Mb Total - - 108 species (of which 58 were Mb Scarlet Tanagers MABLEM. AMIDON 1310 Chicago Ave. Evanston, Illinois A spot of brilliant scarlet swished up - from nowhere it seemed - - lo near the tip of the old tall new-leafed maple in our back veard, The scarlet spot is momentarily out of sight. A loud deep-toned musical whistle-song follows. The notes float out into an early hour of one of Durant’s warming April days. We walk cautiously around the tree at its base, looking up between the branches, for the whistler. He is hidden. No, there he is! A Scarlet Tanager. The contrast between the bright scarlet body and the uniform deep black of wings and tail, shows up sharply. How beautiful he is, and how wonderful to hear. He is not afraid up there - - he whistles again and agin. The call is heard ! A dozen or more companions, male and female, flash in, still eager after their recent migration from the tropical south. The males are in vivid coloring, which is their spring breeding apparel, and the females have their usual somber but lovely olive and yellow -greens. Like that first newcomer to this Iowa back yard tree, his followers also seem lo want to hide themselves, but by watching closely, we can see some of them flitting from twig to twig way up high. The males, the music makers, take turn whistling. Perhaps they are looking for suitable places lo nest. They love the high nest. They are sometimes called the tree-lop birds. In May they can be heard whistling eagerly while exploring blossoming apple trees on the topmost branches, while in summer months they sway at the tips of tall full-leafed poplars and elms, and others. Sometimes, bare dead branches in woodlands, invite them for a few minutes rest, and being silhouetted there against bright blue skies, nature provides a perfect setting for them, offering a striking picture of black, scarlet, yellow-greens, bright blue and sunshine - - and for that matter, sometimes the same background sets off the beauties of others of the colorful bird world - - the Blue Jay, Red-headed Woodpecker, Cardinal, Baltimore Oriole - - who offer happy color competition. Scarlet Tanagers inhabit woodlands chiefly, though they love small towns where trees, especially old tall ones, are plentiful. And they are fond of small or- chards that stand adjacent to peoples’ homes. It almost seems that their singing and busy fluttering and even their colors, gain degrees of beauty and grace and perfection by the presence of human friends whom they entertain and delight. Just one whistle-song can sometimes lighten up a dull day and bring brightness to a gray sky. It can easily be imagined that the music from an entire flock of these FIELD REPORTS 61 songsters, can lift the soul very high. The Scarlet Tanager is one of four tanager species that range in the United Stales, and of about two hundred species in the world - - who offer many different colorings. This scarlet one is sometimes called red tanager or simply redbird, but Scarlet Tanager is the most popular name and the correct one. Quite frequently, however, he bears a temporary name which depends upon the sentimental choice of the people in the immediate area which he finds suitable for his habitation. With their offerings of joy to the ear and eye, Scarlet Tanagers by nature, create a more beautiful world, a better world to live in. This seems full and suf- ficient reason for God s creation of them. FIELD REPORTS A poor nesting season for the ground-nesters was to be expected with the unusually heavy rains during May, June, and July, but the reports on Bobwhites and Pheasants are mixed. Reports from the south are more favorable than those from northern locations. Robins are also reported to have suffered some losses due to the rains and windstorms. Grebes. Only one Pied-billed Grebe was observed on Lake Red Rock and no young were seen , but were thought to be somewhat more numberous (RM). The Sparrow Hawk population was considered somewhat higher also (RM). An unusual nesting site for a pair of Sparrow' Hawks was an opening in an ornamental structure on top of a store in Hamburg (EG). Marsh Hawks are down (RM) with no reports from Des Moines, 62 IOWA BIRD LIFE - XXXIX, 1969 Bobwhites, Pheasants. There is a good population of Bohwhites (GB) and they ai'e abundant everywhere iDG), but no young have been seen (JK). Pheasants are numerous (GB); fairly successful with lots of half-grown seen (JK); but there is no evidence of a good hatch and no young (EB); they appear below normal with no nesting results evident as yet (MK); and numbers are far down (RM). Shorebirds. Coots were seen all summer at Red Rock Refuge and thought nesting (GB). Piping Plover are nesting at De Soto Bend (RDM, WHB). Killdeers are thought to have increased slightly (FB). and very numerous (RM), but down considerably (MK). Upland Plovers have not been seen in previous nesting habitats (GB,WHB); are seen every day but no nests found (JK); a dozen seen near LeMars on 26 July (RM ) ; while they are nesting in three areas with 4 seen on several occasions (JDG ), Spotted Sandpipers have been seen all summer (GB ) . An unusual dale for White-rumped Sandpipers was 16 June when 3 were seen (FWK). Large numbers of Yellowlegs are reported (RM). Gulls. Terns. Franklin’s Gulls were seen in large numbers in Kossuth and Emmet Cos. (RM), and 2 were at Blue Lake in early June (DH). From 2 to 6 Forster’s and Black Terns have been seen over Red Rock all summer (GB), with 10 to 15 Black Terns at Blue Lake on 6-8 June (DH ). Least Terns are again nesting at De Soto Bend (RDM.WHB). Doves, Cuckoos. The number of Doves seen has been few r and not many nests have been found (GB), and they are not in the numbers of past years (JK). There appeared to be few earlier but numerous by the end of July (WHB). Both cuckoos were thought up a bit (EB); the Yellow-billed is abundant with 2-4 per mile (DG); somewhat of an increase in Yellow-billed; but, no Black-billed seen (JK); and both are almost a minus quantity (MK,WHB). Nighthawks, Swifts, Hummingbirds. There are fewer Nighthawks (MK). Chimney Swifts are not as numerous as 10 years ago. The change-over to gas heat with the resultant metal lining of flues is the possible explanation (GB) Although 3 Hummingbirds were seen on 7 July (JK), there has been only l since (FWK ), and no observation (DH ), with few records in Polk Co. Woodpeckers. Flickers are numerous tGB.MK). Redheaded, numerous (GB), but scarce (MK), and thought much more abundant than 10 years ago (DG). Red- bellied seem down (WHB). Flycatchers. Larks, Swallows. Western Kingbirds are fewer (DH). Say’s Phoebes appear to have had a poor season and few are left (EB).Phoebes are numerous but heavily parasitized by Cow-birds (GB), there are none (DH ). A late Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was seen on 29 June (EG). Horned Larks are few- (GB). Tree Swallows, while more common (JK), failed to nest in boxes used in previous years (CG), Bank Swallows seem more common (JK), Rough-winged, few (GB), and Barn Swallows, while fairly numerous are not as plentiful 4-5 years ago (GB). A colony of Cliff Swallows nesting under a bridge w-as unsuccessful when Red Rock Lake rose, but another colony nearer the upper end of the lake w-as apparently successful. Purple Martins are down due in part to interference by House Sparrows (GB), but are up slightly (MK). Chickadees, Nuthatches, Wrens. Chickadees are in good numbers and using Bluebird houses, but Nuthatches are fairly low (GB). Wrens are not as numerous (EG), but plentiful (MK), and numerous with dummy nests in Bluebird houses. One active nest contained 9 eggs f GB ). There are 2 pairs of Carolina Wrens where there had been but one previously (EG). Mimics, Thrushes. Three pairs of Mockingbirds have been found, but no nests located (GB), but fewer (MK), while the former are becoming scarce (DH). GENERAL NOTES 63 Numerous Robin nestlings were though! to have been lost due to the cold rains in May (PK.GB), but in other areas they were thought abundant with many from later broods (MK,DH,W'HB ). Bluebirds have been nesting in dead trees and ignoring boxes with numbers lost on account of Die cold May rains (GB ). About the usual number were banded, but predation was high (PCP). Shrikes, Vireos, Warblers. One family of Shrikes on 28 June were the only ones seen (FWK), They were few in Polk Co. until July. Only one of 5 nests in one area was successful due to predation (GB). Vireos are up somewhat after several poor years (MK). Red-eyed Vireos are numerous in Red Rock Refuge, and fair in the upland areas (GB i, This formerly common vireo has become scarce and much less numerous than the Warbling and Yellow-throated (WHB). Yellow Warblers are up, but still not a high population (GB >. They are again very scarce in the Des Moines area. Yellowthroats are abundant (GB,WHB ). Icterids. Tanagers, Finches. Bobolinks are up (PCP.EHB), but hard to find (RM). A Yellow-headed Blackbird seen on 30 June was thought to be a possible nester (JK). Red-winged Blackbirds are numerous but there has been much predation by Cowbirds (GB). They are to be found everywhere in numbers (WHB). Baltimore Orioles are numerous ( GB ) and there appear to be more young than usual (PK ). There have been 3 or 4 pairs of Orchard Orioles found but no nests located (GB). Cowbirds are up (JK). Two pairs of Summer Tanagers have been coming to suet feeders and an immature was seen on 7 July, but no nest has been located